The Imo State Police Command has detained four police personnel captured in a viral video allegedly forcing a man into the boot of a vehicle during an arrest in Owerri.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Henry Okoye, said the incident occurred on Sunday at Human Race Road, Nekede, prompting the Commissioner of Police, CP Audu Bosso, to order an immediate investigation into the conduct of the officers.
Preliminary findings revealed that the officers comprised two personnel attached to the Nekede Divisional Headquarters and two supernumerary police officers. According to the police, they were carrying out an operation at a suspected drug trafficking location, where two suspects were arrested and substances believed to be Cannabis Sativa were recovered from one of them.
Despite the operation, the Police Command condemned the officers’ conduct, describing the act of forcing a suspect into a vehicle boot as unprofessional, inhumane, and contrary to the Nigeria Police Force’s Standard Operating Procedures and Code of Conduct.
The Commissioner of Police has ordered the immediate detention of the four officers, while the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for a comprehensive investigation. Disciplinary proceedings have also commenced against the officers involved.
The Command assured residents that the outcome of the investigation would be made public and reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that policing in the state is carried out professionally, lawfully, and with respect for the rights and dignity of all citizens.
